Lion Gifts

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera,
and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding
250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after
the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa
and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population
in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from
North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the
late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the
most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were
found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from western Europe
to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. Lions
live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity
they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males
seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from
continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.

Lions

Lions are large cats that have come to symbolize
power, courage and nobility .

Size: Lions are 4.5-6.6 feet long with a tail
of 26.25 to 39.5 inches. Lions weigh from 265 to 500
lbs. Lions stand 3-4 feet at the shoulder. Male lions
are 20 to 35% larger than their female counterparts
and 50% heavier.

Habitat: Lions are found in Africa and the
Gir Forest of India.

Diet: Lions are carnivores. Lions prey on antelopes,
zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, impalas, and other large
animals found in the open grasslands of Africa.

Communication: Lions communicate through
sound and markings.

Did You Know?

Lions can consume up to 60 pounds of
meat in a single sitting.

Gestation: A lioness carry their young for approximately
110 days.

Birth: A lioness gives birth to a litter of
3-4 cubs at a time. Lion cubs stay with their mother
for the first 2 years of their life.

Sexually Mature: Lions and lionesses reach sexual
maturity between the ages of 36 to 46 months.

Life Span: Lions live 16 to 18 years
in the wild.

Did You Know?

Male lions mark their territory by
spraying a mixture of urine and glandular
secretions on tree trunks and bushes
in their territory.

Social Structure: Lions live in groups called
prides. Prides can have 3-40 members. In a pride, lions
will work together to hunt, raise the young and defend
their territory. Usually all the lionesses in the pride
are related.